Something Unexpected
by Caithlinn13
Summary: Something is happening in Akiba and Shiroe is nowhere in sight. No one knows where he is or what happened to him.
1. Prologue

**A/N Hey everybody! A Log Horizon fic here :3**

**O dear... -.-' I'm really exited to upload this, though also kinda afraid to, but hey, just trying here. :) Hope you'll like it! Please let me know and review. :D**

**Betaed by the awesome Ebeewhale, thank you so much! :D (Normally I'd say 'English isn't my native language, but since it is betaed and I got an A on the Cambridge exam I did last june (I think), there shouldn't be much mistakes. If you do find one... woops.. ^^ tehe~)**

**Hopefully the characters won't be too OOC, it's been a while since I saw the anime. So if I missed facts, please let me know. Also, I don't really know if they can feel pain in the game (they scream and flinch and stuff like that...) so I just assumed they did. Would also make it more interesting, I think... ^^**

**And I'll do this only once since it's a pain and it's called fanfiction.. Disclaimer: Do not own!**

**Please read and review! For now; just enjoy the preview! :D**

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**Prologue**

Shiroe blinked, his vision blurry.

What happened? Keeping his balance was unexpectedly hard and he stumbled against the wall, almost falling. Why did his head feel like exploding? Why did he feel like sleeping and never waking up?

He shivered, trying to fight the effects of whatever it was that kept him in this state.

When he fell, he still fought against it and tried to stay upright. The corners of his vision were darkening and flickering.

Whoever was trying to make him black out was doing a damn good job. He gritted his teeth, trying to stay conscious and find a way out of the mess he was in. How did he even end up in it?

It was hard to keep his concentration, Shiroe flinched when he noticed a particularly loud noise filling his aching head. With his blurry eyes it was difficult to find out what the noise was, his fingers sliding forward to make up for it and he found shards of glass in a wet substance.

Oh. That's right, he was drinking some wine when he heard something. But when he shifted his focus on.. What? There was something… A lingering suspicion. There had to be something. Someone.

Someone! There was someone with him in the room.

But there was only silence, except for his raspy gasps. How did it end up like this? He didn't know any spells to help him, but was it even a spell that made him like this?

No, impossible, he would have found a trace of magic in the room. What then? Poison?

The wine!

But that wine was something he bought himself from a random store. It couldn't have been poisoned then. But when? It couldn't be done in the house, they wouldn't have been able to enter without his consent.

It couldn't be…

Shiroe coughed. It felt as if there was a fire burning inside his chest.

He opened his eyes but couldn't see anything besides the blurry shape of his desk with a single chair. When did he even close them?

Oh no, this wasn't good. Not good at all. His strength was leaving him.

Shiroe blinked, a desperate attempt to stay awake, as he struggled to move his arms and legs. Where was his staff when he needed it?

It appeared in his hands. Apparently he hadn't yet taken it out of the system.

The staff helped him stand up without falling. It helped him stay upright while he struggled to move towards the door, his energy quickly leaving him.

It looked like the door wasn't coming closer.

Or was it that his vision was failing him?

Or maybe it was his limbs who weren't listening to him.

He fell, his head knocking against the door, efficiently closing it. Why was it even open? He always closed the door.

His staff slipped out of his grip and rolled out of his reach.

Frustrated he tried to get up, growing more desperate with the second. His calm demeanor was nowhere in sight. But then again, he wasn't ever fed poison before, so he could understand why he was getting scared.

But he didn't like it; he didn't like it at all.

Naotsugu, chief, Akatsuki… What he intended to be a shout was hardly more than a breathy whisper.

Wait! Telepathy!

He had almost no strength left, but the adrenalin in his body forced his arm upwards, reaching the 'call' button on the menu in the air.

Naotsugu!

Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up….

The dial tone resounded within his head as he felt his conscious slipping.

"Naotsugu…" Shiroe whispered, before slipping into unconsciousness, ending the call.

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**A/N So... Did you like it? Please review and tell me! :D**

**For now, till next time! (I don't know how long it'll take though, sorry, but I won't stop writing!)**

**~Blessed be, Caithlinn**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N Sooooooo, here's chapter 1! I really wanted to update earlier, but school's being a bother and I don't feel 100%... Sorry 'bout that. Plus I was kinda stuck in chapter 3. (Cause I'd like to stay a few chapters ahead so when needed I can change little things when I reread the chapters. (So after I finish writing chapter 4 I'll upload chapter 2 for you guys.))**

**Thank you for all the follows, favs and the reviews, it's really awesome when you come home after a long day and there are reviews waiting for you in your inbox. Unfortunately, I can't reply to any guest reviews...**

**And once again: a big thanks for my betareader: Ebeewhale, she's awesome!**

**Also, I got the picture for this fic from deviantart, if you're interested, take a look. A thank you for _yousam _for letting me use the picture.**

**Ok then, just enjoy! :)**

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Naotsugu was outside, walking towards his home. He was happy within Log Horizon, with the few members making it like a family.

Chief was the parent, he always had good advice, good food and a friendly face. Isuzu, Rundelhouse Code (Rudy) and the twins, Minori and Touya, their youngest members, almost like a little brothers and sisters. Akatsuki was the elder sister, although small, she was very strong and straightforward; well, with most of the things. Sometimes she was just as vague as Minori. Though it was mostly because of Shiroe. Shiroe, their strategist, was the smart guy in their weird little family. Naotsugu didn't know exactly what kind of position that guy would have in a family, but figured he was their leader.

Shiroe was a leader he very much respected. Even though he could come across as a villain, hence the name 'villain in glasses'. Shiroe was actually very caring and protective, he just didn't let others know about that side of him. And though he hated belonging to guilds before, the fact that he finally made a home of his own made Naotsugu happy and honored when he was asked to join – he happily agreed.

Log Horizon, obviously a name Shiroe came up with, was a fine guild, one he was proud of and that much was obvious. Naotsugu chuckled. Shiroe was a good guy.

Smiling he picked up the pace to be home a little quicker.

That was when he got the call.

"Oh! Shiroe!" Naotsugu grinned and he answered the call.

But before he could shout out any kind of greeting he heard his name. As a whisper. That was when he knew there was something wrong.

The call ended as abruptly as in began.

And Naotsugu didn't waste a second, dashing home as soon as the call ended.

He tried calling back, but the call didn't even get through.

Frowning with worry he tried again but this time too, the call got cut before it got through.

Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.

He tried calling Nyanta. The dial tone filled his head. So it wasn't the system, Naotsugu mused.

_"__Nya? Naotsugu-cchi? Why'd you call? I was almost finished here."_

"Chief, listen. I got a call from Shiroe."

_"__Shiroe-cchi?"_ Nyanta asked, puzzled. _"Something is wrong. Tell me what's wrong."_

As expected from chief, Naotsugu thought, with so little hints he could tell when something was up.

"I don't know. The call lasted only for a second or two before being cut off. He whispered my name. Couldn't even finish it before the call ended."

Silence filled the line. "Chief?"

_"… __You're going there right now."_

It wasn't a question and Naotsugu didn't bother answering, he just tried to pick up the pace a little more.

_"__I'll meet you there."_

And with that the call was cut off and Naotsugu ended up running even harder.

People turned to look at him, not understanding that something could be wrong within the city; not even knowing why he was running; nor why he looked so troubled.

He turned around the corner, the building owned by Shiroe in full sight. He threw the door open, not bothering to close it. His feet slamming down on the stairs.

Faster! Faster!

Naotsugu almost panicked.

The door leading to Shiroe's study was closed. Shiroe never left the door open. But somehow it only added to the uneasiness and the suspicion that something was wrong.

Upon entering the room he didn't even doubt it anymore. The shattered wineglass, the red stain on the carpet… They were all dead giveaways. Something was horribly wrong and Shiroe was nowhere in sight.

"Shiroe!" he shouted, hoping for an answer. "Shiroe! Come on, answer me!"

Footsteps resounded through the hall behind Naotsugu, and he turned, hoping to see Shiroe coming up behind him to ask him why he was shouting so loud.

"Naotsugu-cchi."

Ah, it was Nyanta.

"Chief."

There was a worried look in Nyanta's eyes, one that worsened after seeing the hopelessness in Naotsugu's expression and the state of Shiroe's study.

"He's gone." It wasn't a question and Naotsugu didn't answer. Instead he just stepped into Shiroe's room. Then he noticed the abandoned staff.

Oh God, no. No please, just let it be a joke. If only it was a joke.

Nyanta noticed it too, and the look in his eyes became unreadable.

"He didn't go willingly." _Damn right he didn't_, Naotsugu wanted to say, _that much was obvious_, but he just stared at the staff, picking it up and holding it in his hands as if it was a fragile treasure.

"If he didn't go willingly someone must have forced him," Nyanta said, and Naotsugu nodded, trying to calm down and think. "How?"

Nyanta narrowed his eyes and said: "There are a number of possibilities. Though Shiroe-cchi is smart, so most of them won't work on him. And that's besides the fact that he's an enchanter, so the hostage-situation won't work too. If it was, he would've used the Thorn Binding spell. The only other options I see right now are surprising him so that they can refrain him from uttering the spell."

"No," Naotsugu shook his head immediately. "He whispered my name. He was totally out of it, and really quiet, but he still whispered my name, so he could still speak."

Nyanta nodded thoughtfully. "So that theory is out. The second possibility is poison."

Naotsugu looked up with wide eyes. "Poison?"

Nyanta nodded again and said: "It isn't against the system, so it won't be hindered. And I don't see another way to surprise Shiroe-cchi enough that he can't find a way out of the situation. Poison would explain the fact that he didn't sound like he had his normally calm demeanor. It also explains why he could be attacked inside his own house, you know no one is allowed in without permission from Shiroe-cchi."

Naotsugu nodded. "But that doesn't mean anything. He could've had a visitor. Besides how would they have gotten him out?"

Nyanta narrowed his eyes. "You're right. He could've. One that took Shiroe-cchi with him."

"But where would they go? If Shiroe was poisoned it is likely that was passed out. That was how he sounded, at least."

It stayed silent.

"A carriage maybe? Or they just disappeared with a spell, or they just walked out of sight in the shadows."

Naotsugu nodded. "Maybe we should bring this matter to the Round Table?"

Nyanta nodded warily. "Yes, I believe that would be best."

Though there was something. He couldn't place a finger on it. Something didn't sound right. Something didn't make sense, but what?

"Chief?"

Nyanta shook his head, ignoring his unconscious mind that demanded attention. "It's nothing. Come on, let's go."

* * *

It took quite some time to assemble all the members from the Round Table, and during that time Naotsugu couldn't sit still. Nyanta looked troubled himself and the continued pacing from Naotsugu, which was quite annoying to be frank, kept him from concentrating on finding a solution to the strange feeling he had when leaving the Log Horizon building with Naotsugu; the feeling that something didn't fit in the picture they had.

When finally, finally, the members all arrived at their rightful place at the table, you could see the confusion on the faces of some of them – confusion about why Nyanta was the one who called them all together, wondering why Shiroe didn't do it himself. Wasn't he the Guild Master and Host?

Some of them were whispering with each other, maybe someone knew the answers to their questions, but with no such luck.

Then Nyanta stepped through the doors and walked up to the table, Naotsugu right behind him.

Silence filled the entire room.

"What's the reason for this? Why were we called to a meeting when we have one in three days? Where's Shiroe?"

That was Krusty. His eyes were narrowed and he stared right at Nyanta, who didn't look bothered by it at all. Instead, there shone a sadness in his eyes. It confused Krusty. 'What's wrong?'

Naotsugu almost smiled. Another one who is quite perceptive; Krusty was a smart one..

"I'm afraid we have bad news," Nyanta said, starting the meeting.

The whispering, which had started again when Nyanta didn't answer the first string of questions, died and once again silence filled the hall.

"Shiroe-cchi is gone."

He couldn't even explain before the members started chattering like chickens. Naotsugu could understand their feelings, but he wished they would shut up. They didn't have time for this. Shiroe was kidnapped for God's sake! The noise got louder and louder until he'd had enough.

"SHUT UP!"

You could hear a needle drop in the next seconds, no one even dared to breathe.

Nyanta glanced at Naotsugu, thanking him in that split second, before saying: "I know this is a lot to take in, but please refrain from making any noise. If not, we will waste time in finding him."

"What do you mean 'he's gone'? Where did he go?"

That was Isaac, and Naotsugu could see why he'd say that. 'He's gone' didn't say much besides the obvious.

"Exactly what I mean," was the simple answer from Nyanta. "Shiroe-cchi's gone. We believed he was poisoned and then kidnapped."

Silence.

"… Poisoned?" Came the tentative response.

Nyanta nodded. "I don't see any other way in which they would've succeeded in taking Shiroe-cchi."

There were some nods.

"Then, what do we do?"

Naotsugu averted his eyes. That was a question he too wanted to know the answer to, but he just couldn't come up with one.

Nyanta also looked troubled. Apparently he didn't know a direct answer to the question either.

Krusty noticed.

"I think it might be best to have this meeting and try to come up with some conclusions as to why, why him, where he might be, who would do something like this, and other questions like that."

All heads nodded after hearing Krusty's suggestion and they settled down in a way that showed they were prepared to sit for quite some time.

And the meeting took quite some time; longer than most of them had hoped, much longer than Naotsugu and Nyanta wanted, but what could they do about it? This was their best chance, and they would take it.

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**A/N Sooo.. I hope you enjoyed. :) Please review! And until next chapter!**

**~Blessed be, Caithlinn**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N Sooo.. Yeah. Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been away with school for a week and then I've been ill for a week, and then the chapter I was working on was really difficult to write, but I changed some things and then it became really easy to continue writing.**

**I know I said in the very first AN that they could feel pain and stuff.. But I kind of changed how I thought about that.. Soo... They don't really feel pain, cause I'll use that little fact later on.. ;)**

**I guess that was it for now.. Not sure if there was anything else that you needed to know, but if so, then.. I'll just put it in another A/N.. xD**

**For now: Read and have fun. :D **

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It was Krusty who took the lead in the meeting now that Shiroe disappeared, and not Nyanta. Naotsugu was sure he wasn't the only one who was a bit surprised by that, but Nyanta looked like he didn't mind; as long as they were trying to find a solution.

Both of them had told their stories in detail. They asked Minori, who was working close by, to go home and take pictures of Shiroe's study and to search for any clues they might have missed in the moments they were there.

After Nyanta ended the call with her, he concentrated on the bickering voices. He was right on time for a voting.

"Those in favor, please raise your hand."

More than half of the members raised their hands. Nyanta stayed quiet, wanting to know what the voting was about.

"More than half are in favor of the suggestion. We'll keep this situation a secret for as long as possible with the exception of the members from Log Horizon, the members of the Round Table, and the ones we all deem necessary."

There was some nodding, also by those who hadn't raised their hand. Krusty continued.

"Now, on to the next point of discussion. We'll leave the small matters for another meeting and concentrate on Shiroe for now. Is anyone against this?"

No one said anything. Aside from someone shaking his head, there wasn't any reaction.

"Okay then," Krusty started. "Shiroe. He's gone, poisoned we believe."

"The only clues we have are the staff and the shattered wine glass," Nyanta said softly.

"Not much of a clue," was heard in the murmurs that erupted.

"Minori is currently searching for more clues, for anything we might have missed; after all, we were there for only a few minutes. She'll contact me if, or when, she finds something or not."

Krusty nodded. "We can't conclude anymore than we already have from the scene if no further evidence is found."

Naotsugu narrowed his eyes. "No, we can't. Is there anything we can do? Maybe there's another way to figure out what happened? And who might have kidnapped Shiroe…."

Silence filled the hall, all members deep in thought.

"Let me rephrase that question," Nyanta said. "We need to start with something we might be able to figure out, and if we figure that out we can go on from there and hopefully find some answers."

"True," Marielle agreed. "But then what is a question that fits? All questions I have are impossible to figure out."

"Don't say something as infinite as impossible. It might be difficult, but with enough clues everything can be figured out," Krusty answered.

"Why would someone need Shiroe?" Nyanta asked.

Silence.

"And that is a question with an easy answer?" Someone asked, the sarcastic tone wasn't lost to anyone.

"I never said it was an easy answer to find," Nyanta responded with a calm voice. "I said maybe we would be able to figure something out, and that question seems the one most likely to provide an answer. Or, if that is not possible, at least with some new information."

"New information? When we don't know anything? There's nothing to gain by speculating."

Something snapped in Naotsugu.

"Nothing to gain? By discussing the subject we can come up with theories! They can at least help us discard possibilities. We need to find Shiroe! He's been taken to God knows where! Who knows what they're doing to him? They might torture him, you know? You can at least help us with that! Don't say it's impossible without at least trying!"

"Nya." Nyanta put a hand on Naotsugu's arm to stop him from ranting and venting out frustrations. "Ma, ma, don't lash out now, they're just afraid," he said quietly.

Naotsugu turned, desperation in his eyes.

Nyanta saw the question and said: "Someone managed to kidnap Shiroe. You know how difficult that must be. After all, it's Shiroe we're talking about."

Naotsugu nodded and took a deep breath. He knew that feeling: he himself had difficulties hiding the fact that it scared him, too.

He turned to face the members of the Round Table.

"Sorry for snapping, I'm scared too. We're dealing with someone who wants something so badly that he'll resort to kidnapping to get it. I don't find it strange for him to try and force Shiroe to help. Also we might be in a position in which we can't stay dead, but we can still die, and if we do we lose memories – not to mention we still feel pain. There're countless possibilities of forcing him to do whatever it is they want."

Naotsugu sighed. "I'm not sure how far they'll go… And how much Shiroe can take."

For a minute everyone seemed to think about this for themselves, trying to imagine where Shiroe could be and under what circumstances.

Then Isaac spoke up: "What do you mean by that?" He sounded slightly confused.

"What do I mean by what?"

"You said you're not sure how much Shiroe can take. Why not? He's strong and ruthless. He can take whatever they throw at him."

Isaac sounded confident, but Naotsugu shook his head.

"He's not the invincible, scary guy you think." Everyone looked at him with a slight surprise.

"Wait, don't tell me you all thought that?" He glanced at Marielle and Krusty, but he couldn't read the looks on their faces. They probably thought as much, but didn't know for sure.

Shiroe never showed the caring side to others, so it wasn't that surprising that none of them knew, but he had thought at least some of them would be able to see further than that outer mask Shiroe always wore. Maybe some of it was a part of Shiroe, but…

He sighed.

"You really couldn't see further that the mask he created? Are the members from my guild really the only ones who could see over the wall he built?"

_Really, Shiroe, why wouldn't he let it down? Why did he keep portraying himself as a bad guy with ulterior motives?_

Naotsugu glanced at Nyanta, trying to figure out if he should at least tell them. Nyanta looked hesitant, but gave him a slight nod.

When he turned back all eyes were on him. _Well then, how to tell…?_

_Okay, we'll start with a question._

"Has someone ever seen anything different than how he normally acts?"

…..

"Anybody?"

…

"I don't know for sure," Marielle finally answered, "but I think I have."

Naotsugu turned to meet her eyes, urging her to speak.

"It was still in the beginning, before the forming of the Round Table Alliance. I called Shiro-bou to my guild's headquarters. There was a member stuck in another city where a violent guild lived, ruled by Demikas."

"Susukino," Krusty said as his eyes flicked dark for a second and Naotsugu nodded, he remembered the incident. He finally got to fight alongside Nyanta and Shiroe together again.

Marielle nodded. "Serara was saved by Nyanta, but they were searching for her, so my guild planned for a party to take her out of that city and back to Akiba. I asked Shiroe if he could keep an eye out for the members of my guild that stayed. He didn't accept."

"See! He really is the villain in glasses!" Someone said.

"What's the point of this story?" Another asked. "Get to the point."

Murmurs erupted, but Isaac took charge and hit the table with a fist. "If you wanna know, shut up and let her tell her story!" He glared at them as they 'eeped'.

Marielle nodded once. "As I said, he didn't want to. Instead, he took the mission and with only two friends, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, he made the journey and brought Serara back safely with Nyanta accompanying her. He didn't have to do that. To make that Journey with just two people by his side is dangerous, especially since Demikas didn't want to let them go.

And he built a guild, a home for himself. He's been soloing every since Tea Party, and refusing to join any invites to our guilds. I know that there is more to him that we don't know about, and since it was only a game…

I've always wondered what he's like in real life."

In the silence that fell all of them nodded thoughtfully. Except Naotsugu.

Krusty noticed.

"You met him in real life."

It wasn't a question, but Naotsugu nodded all the same, not wanting to lie.

"Can you tell us?" There was some wonder in her voice when Marielle spoke.

Naotsugu hesitated.

"I… won't tell you much. That is for Shiroe to tell. However, I can tell you he is always a quiet person, and always is inside. That's not much different from here actually. Here he's also often inside, always working, figuring out problems, and trying… trying to find a way home."

He paused for a moment, wondering how much he'd tell them.

"… He may be smart and he seems strong, and he is, but he's still human and that invincible mask of his won't change that. He still cares, even if he doesn't show it. He cares for loved ones and helps when needed. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you this, but he flew from the Ancient City of Eternal Ice all the way to the village where four kids, our youngest members, were fighting while we were stuck with the goblin quest. Because Minori asked him for help."

"What happened?" Isaac asked.

"One of the members died and they couldn't revive him," Naotsugu answered. "The potion didn't work and healing spells did nothing but waste MP and delay the inevitable."

"But that means…"

Nyanta nodded. "Yes, that's right. He was one of the people of the land."

"Then how…?" Marielle wasn't the only one confused.

"Shiroe. He flew all the way back and saved him by using the same reasoning Nyanta used when figuring out how we could taste the food. The same reasoning we use in all of our work. He's a level 90 enchanter, and a level 90 scribe. He used that to his advantage."

"But how? It isn't possible to revive one of the people of the land!"

"He turned him into an adventurer by using a new magic."

Silence.

"…How is that possible?"

"Because he's Shiroe." That was the only thing Naotsugu had to say to that. "He helps when needed and often lets others take the credit. He may be smart en seemingly a league all of its own, but he cares. He's still a human being, and it doesn't matter that we're stuck in this game, we can't overstep our boundaries as humans."

They seemed to think about that.

"Now that the roadblock is out of the way, can we tackle the problem regarding Shiroe's kidnapping?" Naotsugu asked, irritated because all of time they wasted.

"One more thing," Isaac said, but paused as he hesitated to ask.

"What is it? What do you want to know?" Nyanta asked, directing his full attention to the man on the other side of the table.

Isaac bit his lip but asked: "Why… Why does Shiroe always wear that mask of his?"

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**A/N So? What'd you think? Looking forward to next chapter? Please review! Things you liked, maybe didn't like.. Things that are incorrect (if possible I can try and change things...) anything you noticed? Things you thought? Things you expect? Or just a small sentence to tell me to continue? ;)**

**Anyways, please review, it means a lot to me! :)**

**~Blessed be, Caithlinn**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N So sorry for not updating in a while, and thanks for patiently waiting. I'm kinda stuggeling with the story, I'm normally not one to have such complex stories.. -.-' It's making this a lot more difficult. Besides that, I got some reviews with things I forgot about.. ..Tehe~ x3 So I had to figure that out first. And besides that I was waiting for by beta-reader, who still hasn't responded. I got a generous offer from AllyraMortlock, who wanted to beta for me. At first I hestitated, cause I wanted to finish it with the original beta, but I'm very grateful she'd do this for me. :D Thank you so much Lyra-chan!**

**And thank you so much everyone who read/reviewed, fav'ed and followed this story!**

**Updates will unfortunately be slow, but please bear with me. *bows* Yoroshiku onegaishimasu~!**

**Ah~ Please review! :3**

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**Chapter 3**

"Why… Why does Shiroe always wear that mask of his? He must know how they talk about him… He's been called 'villain in glasses' to his face, I mean, if he does care… Why can't he show that to other people? They might talk less offensive, maybe even judge him fairly." Confusion was written all over Isaac's face.

Naotsugu sighed and averted his eyes. He'd hoped they could've left that problem out of it.

Nyanta noticed. He knew how Naotsugu felt: what they were discussing was extremely personal. He was sure that Shiroe didn't want them to know, but…

_If I tell them… They might be more considerate and won't think of him as cruel that much anymore… _Naotsugu shook his head. _No. Shiroe won't like it if I tell them. But what if I tell them to keep it a secret? They deserve to know, I can't not answer that question. What do I do? What do I do?_

Naotsugu pinched his nose. _Okay, fine, I'll tell them. _

Sigh.

"Please, just don't tell him that you know. This is extremely personal and I don't know how Shiroe'll react to you knowing. Just…"

He saw the others nodding and took a deep breath.

"Shiroe is a loner. He's wary of people with ulterior motives and generally people who seek him out just for his expertise in the game. At least that is what is was. When it was still a game he helped a few people who were stuck, and then word spread around and people sought him out just for that. And because of this he is fiercely independent. He helps when people are in genuine need of help; for example when he helped the twins when they were beginners, and so he can be quite protective about the people he cares about.

And when he helps people who might not appreciate the help, he acts like it's all for greater good. Even when this is not the case. That caused misunderstandings and rumors started spreading about the 'villain in glasses' and people will judge him just for that name alone. So I ask of you; please don't do that. Even if he's socially awkward, he doesn't dislike people and will help when needed.

I think this is the reason he has that stupid mask of his. You don't know how long it took us to get him to open up, back in Debauchery Tea Party or what it took for a meeting in the real world. He's had too many years of people wanting and demanding things from him. He helps when someone is in need, not when someone ask him just because it makes it easier. It's wrong to use him that way!

I know it will take time, but too many years of people wanting things from him have gone by to ignore that. Just… at least try."

It was quiet after his 'speech' ended. The members seemed to be in thought and stared, seeing nothing, just thinking about all the things they just heard.

Nyanta put his hand on Naotsugu's arm as he spoke up. "We should figure out some answers, nya."

Slowly the members of the Alliance shook themselves out of their stupors and focused with renewed concentration on the problem.

"…What was the question again?" Marielle asked.

Naotsugu sighed.

"Why would someone need Shiroe?"

"For his expertise?" Someone asked.

Nyanta and Naotsugu seemed to think about it.

"It may be a part of what they want," Naotsugu mumbled.

"His expertise is a good start," Nyanta agreed, "but I think it's bigger than that. Maybe they need him for what they're planning, and if so, it cannot be just knowing this game. I think the fact that he is capable of inventing new magic has something to do with it."

Silence met that statement. People exchanged looks and glances. They all knew that was a possibility and if that was true, that something very big was going on.

"But… we didn't know about the new magic," someone murmured.

Again, silence filled the hall.

"Damn," Isaac said. "That's true. If we didn't know about it, than isn't it impossible to know? I mean, Shiroe's good at hiding secrets…"

Naotsugu nodded. "Yes, that's true. He's very good at hiding secrets."

Nyanta nodded too. "Yes, he is. But not something as big as this. He told me that there were more people than just the members of Log Horizon that knew about him inventing a new magic. And he told me he is not the only one that did."

"What?" Krusty asked while pushing the glasses further up his nose. "Someone other than him invented new magic?!"

Nyanta nodded. "Yes, so we know that it is possible for others to do it, too. But they chose Shiroe. That means Shiroe is the only one who can help them achieve what they want. Whatever that is."

Krusty nodded. "So who would have the guts to kidnap Shiroe? And who would really need it?"

Someone who has the guts to kidnap Shiroe… Nyanta let out a soft sigh.

Not many that knew Shiroe would do that, they were afraid of him. So who dared? There were a few he suspected. Demikas being one of them, Nureha another. But neither had a goal for which they needed Shiroe. Demikas only wanted revenge. And Nureha… Nureha just wanted him by her side. There is a possibility that one of them kidnapped Shiroe, but was it really the truth? Should they pursue these leads?

Once again, Nynta sighed before raising his head. "From the people that know Shiroe… I can only think of Demikas and Nureha being the ones that are actually brave enough to poison, and take, Shiroe."

"Demikas?" Krusty asked. "He's the one you fought for Serara's safety, right? From what I've been told, I don't think it's him."

Naotsugu glanced at Nyanta and turned to look at Krusty. "No?" He asked, curious. "Why don't you think it's him?" Naotsugu himself thought the same, but it was just a feeling in his gut. And as much as he trusted that feeling, some explaining would be appreciated in a matter as delicate as this.

Krusty seemed to think for a moment. "I… don't think this is something he would have done."

Naotsugu nodded and silently asked him to clarify.

"His character is obviously blunt. He's not one to beat around the bush, but instead to just force his way through and take what he wants. Besides, we haven't heard any rumors about him leaving his city and neither have we heard things about him being here. And I don't think someone would easily overlook him."

Naotsugu snorted. No, he's definitely not someone who is easily overlooked.

"Okay, so that rules out Demikas," Rodrick said.

Everyone nodded a bit but stayed silent.

Then Soujiro spoke up. "Who's Nureha?"

Silence.

"…She is actually the one, other that Shiroe, to invent a new magic. She's a level 90 Enchanter, just like Shiroe, and she's kinda obsessed with him, thinking he should be with her and rule the world and stuff like that."

Krusty raised his eyebrow at that and Isaac laughed.

"Yeah, that's so realistic."

"More realistic than you care to admit," Nyanta said.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Wouldn't it be what he's doing right now? Here in Akihabara?"

Silence filled the hall once more.

Then Krusty chuckled. "Basically, yes. I can't imagine him not manipulating and be the obvious ruler. I imagine he would be good at it, but he's far more into the manipulating thing. And quite frankly, I think he's the best in that aspect as well."

Most of them smiled slightly, but Naotsugu wanted results and the only thing they had done by now, was debating and talking, and getting a headache because of it. He knew getting angry wouldn't solve anything, but emotions gradually won over his patience and common sense. And he knew; if he stayed any longer he would blow up at one of them, or maybe all.

Without saying so much as a word he turned and strode with quick steps out of the room, the big doors creaking behind him.

The others fell still and stared at the slowly closing doors through which Naotsugu had just rushed off.

"What happened?" Someone asked.

Nyanta sighed. "Forgive him, his temper is quite a fierce one, and all this chatting around isn't exactly a reassurance for him. He's worried. And I know he knows we're worried too, but this meeting is time consuming, and that's exactly what he doesn't want it to be. Not now, not in this situation."

Krusty nodded. "And we're still talking about trivial things, even though it's mixed through the talk we need to have."

Nyanta nodded too. "Let's just have a short break. We can refocus and he can get his temper under control. We can think about this by ourselves for half an hour and then try again. Are there any objections?"

When no one answered he nodded once again and said: "Then I'll see you all in half an hour." And he turned and walked through the doors. He should go find Naotsugu. He was certain that Naosugu had gone outside to cool off.

And as suspected, outside, Naotsugu was pacing in circles. Nyanta saw that talking wouldn't do any good. Naotugu was worried, had the right to be, and pacing seemed to keep his anger at the chattering people at bay.

After a while he seemed to resign and sank down against the wall, his head banging at the stones a few times in frustration.

"You're frustrated."

Naotsugu almost snorted at the statement. _As if that wasn't obvious_, he thought.

"And you have every right to be," Nyanta continued.

Naotsugu's shoulders slumped. Oh, how he wished things would be easier.

"I know, I think it's safe to say everyone wishes things would be easier," Nyanta softly said.

Did he say that out loud?

"No you didn't."

Naotsugu's head shot up.

Nyanta let a small smile slip. "You're too easy to read."

At that Naotsugu let out a small, sad chuckle. "I guess so…"

"… Are you ready to go back?"

Naotsugu sighed. "Yeah, let's get this over with." He stood up and walked back inside.

Nyanta stared after him for a while, before turning and disappearing inside. It had been half an hour, hopefully everyone had had enough time to calm down and think.

He silently opened the doors and walked inside.

"Okay, everyone, let's resume the meeting and not waste any more time."

Everyone nodded and sat at their respectful places. Time to find some solutions to the problems at hand. For all they knew they were using time Shiroe did not have. God forbid, they were using time they might not have.

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**A/N So.. What'd ya think? ;P Please review!**

**~Blessed be, Caithlinn**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N Hello everybody! I'm sorry I took so long to update. I'd like to be 2 chapters ahead, so I was busy writing chapter six, and I had this huge writers block and I was supposed to write about something in chapter 5 but I really didn't know what to write, how to write and it just generally sucked.. So I kind of avoided writing about it for two chapters.. xD tehe~ Plus my schedule is quite... impulsive, so yeah... **

**But I finished that chapter and send it to my beta (thank you again, for doing this for me!) so time to upload another chapter! Hopefully now I am over that particularly point I'll be able to update more often..**

**Have fun! :D Please review! 3**

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When Shiroe woke up he almost wanted to close his eyes again the second he opened them. First of all, there was a blinding white light and it was not exactly comfortable seeing as his eyes seemed to be more sensitive to light after spending that much time in a dark room playing games, or sit in his study doing paperwork.

Second of all, where the hell was he? And how the hell did he get here?

But then, after closing them, he sighed and opened them again. He needed his eyes to assess the situation. Which was quite a predicament, as he remembered. He groaned. How the hell did he end up in this kind of situation?

That was when he noticed his surroundings. And he groaned again.

What. The. Hell. Seriously? How the hell was he back in his room? It shouldn't be possible to be back home. Besides, if he was back, why was he still Shiroe? No. This had to be a dream.

Then the blinding white light dimmed. The room darkened in just a few short seconds until it was almost too dark to see. He almost groaned a third time but stopped short of doing it when he noticed little lights in the darkness surrounding him. Goddamnit.. Surrounded. How the hell was he supposed to survive this kind of situation on his own? And who's eyes were those?

One of the pair of eyes glinted and suddenly charged forwards. A dark brown feral dog ran into his sight and at full speed towards him. With a surprised grunt Shiroe swung his staff and hit the dog just as it jumped. He made a swipe for his game menu but raised a startled eyebrow when it didn't appear. What the hell? Why? Why wouldn't it appear? He made another swipe for the menu. And another. And another. He tried a spell. Nothing. Nothing? Why wouldn't the magic work?

Then the dogs stole his attention when another one attacked and Shiroe barely had enough time to raise his staff and deflect the attack.

As soon as the attacking dog fell back another one stepped up.

When that dog backed up another one took his place. And another one. And another one. And then two at once. And another two. And three. And then, as if a sign, all dogs attacked at once.

Shiroe, who up until that moment had managed to deflect all the attacks except for the one dog that latched onto the leg of his trousers, shook the dog off and had only a second to realize what was happening. For a split second, a panicked look appeared in his eyes, before making place for determination.

He swiftly ducked and managed to evade four of the dogs who, instead of Shiroe, bit their comrades. Another swipe with his staff managed to hit another two dogs, who fell over each other and a third one. His fist hit another one and one of his feet also reached one, but he wasn't quick enough to evade the last three. One quickly latched onto his cloak, and he grimaced at the sound of torn cloth. The second one latched onto his ankle, but his shoes protected his skin, the dog not biting hard enough to penetrate the hard leather. What a small wonder it was, because the teeth seemed pretty sharp.

The third one sprung up, turned midair and somehow managed to clamp his teeth around Shiroe's upper arm.

Shiroe had his attention somewhere else, trying to keep his eyes on all the dogs. Only a second before the dog bit his left arm did he turn around, his eyes wide. He knew he wouldn't be able to dodge that dog and he narrowed his eyes. It appeared he was going to have to sacrifice some HP. He swung his staff down, and hit another attacking dog hard on his head. The dog slumped down, and just for a second he felt a small triumph. Then Shiroe felt the dog he hadn't been able to dodge, sink his teeth into his upper arm. He let out a small gasp and a strangled sound of pain.

Shiroe's eyes closed for just a second and then shot towards his arm. The dog kept his jaw locked and growled softly.

Shiroe fell on one knee, swung his staff low over the floor to knock the oncoming dogs from their feet and in one swift move, using the momentum from the earlier swipe, Shiroe hit the dog biting his arm on the head. The dog growled a little harder and let go.

Shiroe tried to form a shield, a simple spell, around himself. Something to protect him from the dogs, but nothing came. What the hell? If he wasn't back home, he should still be able to use magic. But if he was home, why was he still Shiroe? Why couldn't he open his menu? Use his spells? Where was his HP bar?

Aaaargh.. Why was this so confusing?

The two dogs that held onto his cloak and ankle disappeared. Wha..?

His room disappeared. The lights of the eyes in the dark glinted but dimmed and then also disappeared.

Shiroe, while he didn't know what happened, sighed in relief. He didn't know how long he would've held against the dogs. They were vicious beasts.

And apparently he could feel pain. Now, feeling pain wasn't unusual, but it was since The Apocalypse. For one, Shiroe wasn't the one doing the fighting, just helping others fight. Secondly, the wounds they got in battle hurt much less than in real life. Probably because they were adventurers. Their pain tolerance was higher because of the fact that they always fought, or were built to fight. And while wounds would still hurt, it wasn't that bad that they couldn't fight. The only way to stop the fighting with injuries was because of the quantity or the severity. Quantity because every wound hurt, and the pain of one cut would add to another and the pain would gradually become worse. Then there was the severity. A stab wound hurt worse than a superficial cut. And some injuries were well placed and helped slow people down. A deep cut to a leg slowed down speed, and a cut to the arm would slow the movements of the weapon. But that seemed logical.

Once again his eyes drifted off to his left arm. Eyes widened just a little when he saw specks of blood on the cloak. Using his right hand, he rolled up his sleeve to inspect the wound.

He winced when he saw the dog bite. Though the dog had kept his jaw firmly locked around his arm instead of making multiple bites, he had bitten deep, penetrating the skin and leaving holes. Blood spilled out of the holes and dripped from his elbow on the ground. It was bleeding more heavily than he imagined. And the menu didn't pop up, so he couldn't get any of his potions. And even if he could, how could he know if it worked? Since his magic didn't work either…

He sighed. It was a mess and he didn't know what to do.

~SOMETHING UNEXPECTED~

Just a step away from the door the two returning adventurers halted. Both took a deep breath, Nyanta opened the door and both walked inside. The other members were already on their respectful places. Nyanta and Naotsugu quickly followed and the meeting resumed.

"I take it everyone has had enough time to cool down and resume this meeting with a fresh look on things?" Nyanta asked.

"You bet we are!" Isaac grinned, as he slammed his fist on the table.

"Well then…" Krusty said. "Is there anyone who has questions about the things we discussed before the break? Any issues with things we decided after the opportunity to think about it?"

Everyone stayed quiet for a while. Then, after a moment of hesitation, Marielle lifted her hand slightly and said: "I know we decided to start figuring this thing out with the deduction that Shiroe was poisoned, but how can we be sure? I mean, yes of course it's possible, and maybe even likely, but there are other possibilities, correct?"

Karashin nodded in agreement. "I think miss Marielle is right. Shiroe might be a master in misleading everyone, but he's an enchanter, not a fighter. And it isn't impossible to best him. It might be highly unlikely since he has a knack of knowing how to escape, but there is always a possibility."

Michitaka was the next speaker agreeing with Marielle. "I agree, there is always a possibility that this isn't caused by poison. For all we know he had a visitor and they were sharing a glass of wine when that somebody blitz attacked him and knocked him unconscious. It would have been easy to take Shiroe over the shoulder and disappear out the front door; nobody was there at that time, was there?"

Nyanta seemed to think. "That's indeed true. Nobody was home, and the street wasn't all that busy when we arrived, but we can't know for certain."

"Do we even know when he was abducted?" Eins asked.

"Yes, we do know when he was abducted, after all, he called me. For however short it was, it was obvious that at the time of the call he was being kidnapped. And I for one don't believe that he was out of it because he was blitz attacked. It just doesn't seem right." Naotsugu was certain of his opinion, and he wasn't willing to let it go.

Then Nyanta got a call. He quickly stood and walked towards an empty corner for a little privacy, and answered the call. The others had noticed him leaving his place and quieted, trying to hear what was being said. But though they heard the soft tone of Nyanta's voice, they couldn't make out what he said.

They saw him nod to himself.

Probably thinking, thought Naotsugu, while he patiently waited. He was almost sure that it was Minori who called.

The call was short. Almost two minutes if anyone had attempted to count. But everyone was a bit preoccupied by figuring out what was said. That's why, when Nyanta walked up to the table, nobody said anything. Instead, they just anxiously waited for any information he might have gotten.

"Minori called," Nyanta started. Naotsugu nodded slightly to himself, pleased he had guessed right.

"After she arrived at the scene Naotsugu and I had left, leaving her some instructions that might give us some important information. One of the things was to go over the room, see if anything was missing and if anything was out of place. Another was to check the wine for poison."

He paused, seemingly thinking about the matter.

"Go on," someone said, clearly impatient.

"While she herself can't find out about that, there is a small guild that specializes in poison. She went there to ask if they could find out if there was poison in the wine. It took a while for them, but they found out the wine was indeed poisoned. They also managed to find out what kind of poison it was, and what possible effects it might have had."

He hesitated, clearly not sure about how to continue.

"What are the effects?" Naotsugu asked, softly but with a clear undertone of anger.

"It isn't deadly, thank God, but it's quite a dangerous poison. Depending on the person and the dosage it is possible for the one poisoned to end up comatose for a very long time. And it's not entirely sure if the rest is, well, restful. Besides the fact that Shiroe will be asleep for some time, there is the fact that he might be disoriented when waking up, and he might experience some difficulties as headaches for some time, maybe a bit wobbly, that kind of thing. That said, we need to get him back here, he might recover more quickly."

"We need to get him back, no matter what!" Naotsugu said, his brow furrowed, his opinion clear. And everyone else nodded. They needed to get him back.

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**A/N So this was the chapter, again sorry that it took me so long. **

**We finally got to the chapter about Shiroe. ^^ Confusing? Exiting? Tell me what you thought! Tips, compliments, guesses, anything. :D It'll make my day! ^^ And if there's anything missing, or something like that, please let me know! :)**

**And thank you so much for all the fav's and follows and reviews! :D Love you guys! Till next chapter!**

**~Blessed be, Caithlinn**


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